Nairobi Star Corridors of Power Political Gossip

Posted on13 October, 2009

The political battles between Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Water minister Charity Ngilu are back. We are told that Ngilu has decided to "reclaim" her place in Ukambani politics by winning over the region's legislators. Her strategy seems to be working because she has managed to win over one of Kalonzo's close allies David Musila who has openly declared that he will from now on work with Ngilu.

A city based businessman associated with Deputy PM Musalia Mudavadi is giving Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo sleepless nights. The youthful businessman, who is known to be close to another Cabinet minister and several MPs from the region, is now planning a major funds drive in Lugari this month where he is expected to donate Sh1 million just to send a message to Jirongo. But Jirongo has been countering the man's plans by telling his constituents to receive him warmly, elect him as their councillor so he can become the chairman of the local county council before he can start dreaming of becoming an MP.

A human rights activist who has recently been fighting MPs and the former head of the Kenya Anti-corruption Commission Justice (retired) Aaron Ringera is reportedly in the payroll of a senior politician from Western Kenya who has been picking up his tab and paying him a retainer every Friday. The man was spotted last week at a Westlands hotel where he sipped a soda for nearly two hours waiting for the MP who showed up later and paid the bill.

A former PNU Parliamentary aspirant has found a way of raking in millions from the more successful politicians. His latest cash cow is a Cabinet minister from Coast Province who, our moles say, paid the man Sh2 million to build the minister's profile in the Coast Province.

Stanley 'Moneybags' Livondo who always tries to keep himself in the public radar is at it again. The man is now telling anyone who cares to listen that he would release the "original" list of suspects in the Waki envelope if Moreno-Ocampo fails to do so. Kofi Annan presented the secret list to Ocampo but now Livondo claims to have seen it.

The Chief Executive Officer of a local bank is furious with his staff for releasing the title deed of a huge piece of land to a well known personality who bought it at an auction. The junior officers released the title deed even though the personality had only paid 10 per cent of the value at the fall of the hammer. We are told that heads will roll at the bankas it no longer has any way of recovering the money.

Two daughters of prominent politicians are understood to have made millions from the resettlement of IDPs. The two were reportedly given the responsibility of identifying land on which the IDPs were to be resettled. The two young women, one of whom is a property manager, are said to have inflated the price of the land they identified by millions of shillings. The property manager was overheard boasting she will now not have to work for years as "my account is fat enough".

Why is a city MP keeping money in his socks? The legislator was overheard complaining that he had lost some money which he had stashed in his socks. The problem is he could not identify who the thief was or when the stash was stolen. Talk about keeping your feet firmly on the ground!

Tourism Minister Najib Balala we hear is now planning massive political rallies at the Coast to try and lay claim to be the kingmaker in the region. His key rival for this is fellow ODM MP Hassan Joho who has promised to match anything Balala puts across.

A senior Cabinet minister has suddenly discovered that he has a school going daughter in Kaloleni Estate, Nairobi. Out of the blue, the PNU lawmaker, who had earlier denied he was the girl's father, has after seven years decided to take custody of the child and her mother. He has moved his new found family to a house in one of the leafy suburbs. The mother and child are now the talk of Kaloleni Estate who regard them as having made it in life.

What is going on at the National Social Security Fund? We are told that a big rift has emerged between the NSSF managing trustee Alex Kazongo and some suppliers and contractors who are complaining that their payment cheques are being delayed for no reason.

Remember yesterday's item about two daughters of prominent politicians who have been bragging that they have made millions of shillings out of the IDP resettlement scheme? Now we are told by very senior people who know what is going on that no money has been paid to the two women, contrary to claims by one of them. One wonders why she would bragging about making millions when she hasn't made any.

Remember the city MP who stashes his cash in his socks instead of his wallet? Well, the man eventually found the roll of notes which he though had been stolen. The bundle of notes was found in his car. He now has to sheepishly explain to his colleagues just why he opts for such an unconventional way to carry his money around. It can't be that he does not know of plastic — the credit or debit cards that banks so willingly offer to all monied customers.

Even before the dust of the December 2007 elections settles, we are told that two ODM legislators are shopping around for parties which they hope to use to propel their candidacy for the 2012 presidential race. Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru is eyeing a little known party — Nuru where her son is an official, while South Mugirango MP Omingo Magara is eyeing another small party — either POP or Mazingira — to launch his presidential bid.

A city lawyer known more for the cases he has lost than anything else has become the subject of talk among the learned fraternity. The man, who is a close associate of a senior Cabinet minister, has in a few years managed to accumulate immense wealth which he has been splashing around. He has acquired six "wives" after paying dowry for all of them even though his religion only allows him four at any one time. The concern among his relatives is that he does not seem to have enough "wives" and is considering taking on some more.

Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba has been unusually quiet. This has now become a concern to some of the professionals from his constituency. The elite constituents held a meeting over the weekend to find solutions to some of the problems affecting the people of Budalangi. Of great concern is the threat of floods which are inevitable with the predicted El Nino rains. The professionals were frustrated that Namwamba failed to attend the meeting and complained that they have been unable to get in touch with him.